THE shocking arsenal of Sweden’s mass school shooting suspect Rickard Andersson and his apparent links to the murder scene have been revealed.
Authorities found rifles next to the shooter’s body at the Campus Risbergska school in Orebro, which was described as a scene of extreme devastation by the police.
Rickard Andersson, 35, is said to have had a licence for four firearms – three of which were reportedly found at the school.
A police spokesperson said: “We have found several weapons in the school. They are so-called long guns, rifles.”
According to Lars Wiren, the police chief of the city, they also discovered ten empty magazines and a significant amount of unused ammunition at the location.
The individual responsible, Andersson, was identified as a person labeled as a recluse with severe social anxiety. Reports indicated that he had previously been a student at Campus Risbergska but had not been attending classes there since 2021, as reported by Aftonbladet.
The suspect – who was raised in Orebro – had allegedly also attended class for people with Asperger’s and high-functioning autism at the local Wadkoping Education Centre, per Sky News.
Police believe the suspected killer turned the weapon on himself but his motive was not immediately known.
Authorities have said there is no evidence the perpetrator had “ideological motives” and that he was previously unknown to them.
Chilling details emerged from witnesses after the massacre, stating that the gunman mysteriously chose to walk past certain people, deciding not to shoot them.
A horrifying video, filmed by student Hashem Shams desperately trying to hide from the gunfire in a cubicle, captured someone saying “Get out of Europe”.
The terrified student was also seen standing on a sink to avoid the killer’s gunshots, in the clip.
It is unclear who said these words, but the gunman continued firing after that moment.
Syria’s embassy in Stockholm said some of its nationals were among the dead, at the school which taught Swedish language classes to migrants.
It gave no extra details about the number of Syrians in the massacre but police have not yet confirmed the identities of the victims.
Bosnia’s ambassador said two of its citizens were also among the dead.
STRONG RESPONSE
Authorities said they were met with “an inferno” of “dead people and injured people, screams and smoke” when they arrived at the school, five minutes after being called.
The alarm was raised at around 12.30pm on Tuesday afternoon.
Some of the 130 officers on the scene were shot at by the perpetrator, but were uninjured.
Authorities said six people were injured and rushed to hospital following the tragic attack.
Cops also raided the suspect’s apartment following the horror attack – where he had lived alone.
FAMILY ISSUES
Andersson’s family painted him as a troubled recluse who had pulled away from his friends and family for years, according to Swedish media.
He had supposedly been unemployed since 2015 and legally changed his name from Jonas Simon in 2017 – to the shock of his family.
One family member said: “We haven’t had much contact with him in recent years.
“As a child he was different but lively. He did well in school. But in recent years he has had a hard time. He is not working.”
What we know about Rickard Andersson
THE 35-year-old was identified by cops as the suspect in Sweden’s worst mass shooting in history – where 11 people were shot dead at Campus Risbergska in Orebro.
Rickard Andersson was described as a loser with “extreme social phobia” by his family.
He had reportedly been unemployed since 2015 and lived alone after isolating himself from his friends and family.
Andersson reportedly grew up in an affluent part of Orebro with his parents and siblings and was apparently enrolled at Campus Risbergska, but hadn’t taken classes there since 2021.
Local media reported that the suspect had attended a class for people with Asperger’s and high-functioning autism at the local Wadkoping Education Centre.
The suspect reportedly struggled at school and his performance was viewed as “problematic” as he failed all of his classes from the end of grade eight and throughout grade nine, per local media.
Andersson also has a gun licence.
He was also repeatedly denied military service, documents from the Swedish National Service Agency show.
The Swedish National Service said the reason he was never called up for muster was due to him lacking upper secondary school qualifications, per Aftonbladet.
Another relative said: “He’s really a loner. He used to have a friend he hung out with a lot, but not now. He wants to be by himself.
“He doesn’t seem to like people.”
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Tuesday’s attack was the worst in the country’s history and called it a “painful day”.
King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia joined mourners and visited a memorial on the school grounds yesterday.
He said: “All of Sweden feels it has experienced this traumatic event.
“All Swedes are thinking of those people who lost their loved ones.”
